Delhi court frames charges against Sukesh, Jacqueline Fernandez, 19 others in Rs 217-crore extortion case

A Delhi court on Saturday framed charges against conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar and 20 others, including actress Jacqueline Fernandez and his wife Leena Paulose, in the Rs 217-crore extortion case.

Special Judge (MCOCA) Prashant Sharma of the Patiala House Court framed charges against the accused in a case registered by the Special Cell of the Delhi police and investigated by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW). The case pertains to an alleged large-scale extortion, cheating and organised crime syndicate that was purportedly operated from within prison.

The judge observed that “prima facie, there is sufficient material on record on the basis of which a strong suspicion is raised against all the accused.”

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In its order dated May 30, the trial court framed charges under Sections 170 (personating a public servant), 186 (obstructing a public servant in the discharge of duties), 384 (extortion), 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt), 388 (extortion by threatening to accuse a person of a serious offence), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant, banker, merchant or agent), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 468 (forgery), 471 (using a forged document or electronic record as genuine), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC, along with Section 66 of the Information Technology Act and Sections 3 and 4 of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Besides Sukesh Chandrasekhar, also known as Sukash Chandrashekhar, the accused include his wife Leena Maria Paul alias Leena Paulose, Jacqueline Fernandez, Deepak Ramnani, Pradeep Ramdanee, B. Mohanraj, Arun Muthu, D. Kamlesh Kothari and Pinky Irani.

The other accused are Pooja Singh, Dharam Singh Meena, Mahender Prasad Sundriyal, Sunder Bora, Komal Poddar, Jitender Narula, Avinash Kumar and Jai Prakash Singhal.

The framing of charges under MCOCA in this highly significant and complex case marks a major milestone and reflects the strength of the evidence collected during the investigation, Additional Commissioner of Police (EOW) Ravi Kumar Singh said in a press statement.

Singh added that the successful culmination of this stage is the result of the meticulous, professional and sustained efforts of officers of the Economic Offences Wing over the last four years.

The investigation involved extensive scrutiny of voluminous records, detailed analysis of financial transactions, examination of numerous witnesses, collection of technical and documentary evidence and the establishment of the accused persons’ alleged organised criminal activities through legally admissible evidence, he said.

Singh stated that the probe unearthed substantial evidence, including witness statements, confessional statements recorded under MCOCA, electronic evidence, voice recordings, forensic reports, call detail records, recovery of mobile phones allegedly used in the commission of offences, hawala transaction trails, and the recovery of luxury vehicles and other assets allegedly acquired from the proceeds of crime.

The officer further said that a dedicated team comprising Investigating Officer ACP Virender Kadyan and Inspector Pradeep Rai, under the overall supervision of senior EOW officers, effectively pursued the matter before the trial court as well as the Delhi High Court.